Electric relay apparatus.



H. DE F. ARNOLD. ELBGTBIO RELAY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JAN.8, 191A.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

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M y M apparatus of the gaseous type;

UNITED sTA'rEs P TENT onriou.

HAROLD 15E FOREST ARNOLD, 01 EAST ORANGE. NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, on NEW YORK..N. Y.. .A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC RELAY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

Application filed January 8. 1914. Serial No. 811,034.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAnoLn Du F omcsr ARXoLo, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Relay Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to electric relay its objects are to prolong the life of such apparatus and to increase its etliciency.

In the use of the mercury arc type of re-.

lay disclosed in a prior application of this inventor, Serial No. 709,445 filed July 15, 1912, an ellect has been observed which is known as blackening of the inside surface of the tubular vessel. This blackening occurs where the gas is in an active state of ionization and is most prominent in the re:-

gion of the auxiliary electrodes. The de-' posit which causes it is electrically conductive so that in time a short circuit occurs between the electrodes leading-in conductors. It has been found that blackening is lessened and the life of the apparatus is thereby increased in' accordance with this invention by attaching the held together at a spaced distance apart.

by non-magnetic binding material such as aluminum. These plates preferably lie transverse to lines of force produced by the electromagnet. Two such auxiliary electrodes may be connected in a divided output circuit and symmetrically placed side by side in the flattened portion of the tube so that the external contour of the two together conforms generally to the contour of the innor surface of the tube, in which case the leading-in conductors to the auxiliary electrodes at some ionized stream flows along the inner walls of the iron plates andnot at all orat least only to a" small extent between the electrodes and the walls of the vessel.

The invention will he stood by reference drawings wherein- Figure 1 shows a system of circuits and apparatus representing one embodiment 01. this invention; and Fig. 2 shows in cross section the apparatus of Fig. 1, separated from the circuits, on line 22 thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the means for producing the ionized stream, which in this instance has been shown as a mercury arc apparatus, comprises a main chamber 1 having a ta percd lower portion 2, which joins a condensing chamber 3, together with a more fully underto the accompanying mercury cathode 4, an anode 5 of iron or and confinedwithin the flattened portion 7 are a pair of auxiliary cathodes 11, 12, each of which is formed of a plurality of magnetic plates 13, 13, preferably of iron, held together at a spaced distance apart by means of a binder 14, and rivets 10 of aluminum or other suitable non-magnetic material. The use of non-magnetic material as a binder in spacing the magnetic plates 13, 13 of each auxiliary cathode prevents the shunting of the lines of force through that portion of the cathodes including the binder 14, which would occur were the binder made of magnetic material.

As shown in the drawings, the two cathodes 11, 12, are slightly separated from each other and from the walls of the chamber. The outer plates of each cathode are prefer: ably longer than the others thereof, so that the separation between the edges of the opposite outer plates of the two cathodes ing of the walls of the main chamber 1 adja- 3 cent the opposing edges of the outer plates 13, 13 of the auxiliary cathodes 11 and 12.

trodes of the device.

Leading-in conductors, preferably of platinum wire, are provided for the several elec- In order that the blackening of the leading-in conductors15, '16'for the auxiliary cathodes 11 and 12, may be reduced to a minimum and the life of the device correspondingly increased, the leading-in conductors 15 and 16 are attached to the auxiliary cathodes 11 and, 12 respectively, at points removed from the edges thereof, preferably at some central point.

As a means for deflecting the ionized stream, there has been shown an electromagnet 20, the means of support of which is not shown. Such magnet comprises a pair of coils 21 and 22 surrounding inwardly extending pole pieces, the outer ends of which are joined by a semi-circularyoke 23. The pole pieces present their faces to opposite sides of the main chamber 1 in the region of the auxiliary cathodes 11, 12 so that the lines of force between the pole pieces lie in a di-' rection transverse to the direction of flow of the lomzcd stream in the chamber 1, and

operates to deflect the stream in the direction of one auxiliary cathode or the other, according to the direction of the current in the magnet coils. Due to the main chamber 1 being flattened at 7, adjacent the auxiliary cathodes 11 and 12, the faces of the pole pieces may be brought close together and the magnet field strengthened.

The system shown in Fig. 1 comprises substations A and B, which are connected together by means of line wires 31 and 32 in which there is connected a relay station 0. At each substation there is provided a receiver 33 in series with the line wires 31 and 32, and an inductionv coil secondary 34, the primary 35 of which is in series with a transmitter 36 and a source of current 37. At the substation C there is provided a transformer 40 having four secondary windings, 41 and 42 of which are connected in line 31, and 43 and 44 of which are connected in line wire 32. This transformer 40 has two primary windings 45 and 46, which are in inductive relation with the secondary windings thereof. The point joining the transformer primaries 45 and 46 is connected to the negative pole of a battery 53, the posito the middle points joining the transformer secondaries 41 and 42, and 43 and 44 respectively, and the secondary 52 thereof is connected in series with the windings 21 and 22 of the electromagnet 20. The negative pole 55 of battery 53 is also connected to the mertive pole of which is connected to the anode 'cury cathode 4 through a resistance coil 54 The impedance coil 55 and resistance coil 54 provide a path for the mercury arc circuit to maintain a steady flow of current therein, which, when once established, as by tipping the tube, closing the circuit at the starting key 56 over the path 53, 5'5, 54, 4, 6, 56, 53, and then releasing the key 56, is maintained automatically over the path 53, 55, 54, 4, 2, 1, 5, 53, which includes the ionized arc stream inthe main chamber 1, said stream being confined. at'the flattened portion 7 of the main chamber 1 within the area bounded by the outer plates 13, 13 of the auxiliary cathodes 11 and 12. This stream in passing through this path fills the region confined within these. plates of the,

auxiliary cathodes 11 and 12 and renders the auxiliary circuit conductive so that current flows from battery 53,'dividing through the primary windings 45- and 46 of the transformer 40,.to the auxiliary cathodes 11 and 12, to and through the ionized vapor therebetween and by way of the anode 5 back to the battery 53. The primary coils 45 and 46 ofthe transformer 40 are wound difl'erentially in the auxiliary circuit, that is to say,

' mately so,'in the two branches, this being due to the symmetrical arrangement of the auxiliary cathodes 11 and 12 with respect to the ionized vapor in the space between them. lVhen, however, the electromagnet 20 is energized by current received over the circuit from either station A or B, a magnetic field of ionization in the field or space between:

the auxiliary cathodes, and current will flow with increased strength through one 'primary winding of the transformer and with decreased strength through the other, thereby inducing current in the secondary windings, which is transmitted over the line wires to the other station and recorded'or made manifest in the receiving instrument 33.

What is claimed is:

1. An electric relay apparatus comprising means for producing an ionized stream, an output circuit including an auxiliary cath ode of magnetic material immersed in said stream, and an input clrcult includlng elec-' tromagnetic means external to said circuit 'for variably deflecting said stream toward and from said auxiliary cathode.

2. An electric relay apparatus comprising a tubular vessel, means for producing anionized stream therein, cluding an auxiliary material immersed in said stream, and an input circuit including an electromagnet external to said stream for variably deflecting said stream toward and from said auxiliary cathode.

3. In an electric relay apparatus, the combination of a tubular vessel flattened at one portion, means for producing an ionized stream therein, an output circuit including an auxiliary electrode in said vessel at the flattened portion thereof, and an input circuit including an electromagnet external to said vessel for variably deflecting said stream, said magnet having its pole pieces adjacent the flattened sides of said vessel.

4. An electric relay apparatus comprising means for producing an ionized stream, an output circuit including an auxiliary cathode immersed in said stream, and an'input circuit including an electromagnet external to said stream for variably deflecting said stream toward and from said auxiliary cathode, said cathode comprising a plurality of plates .of magnetic material positioned transversely to the lines of force from said electromagnet.

5. In an electric relay apparatus, the combination of a tubular vessel flattened at one portion, means for producing an ion zed stream therein, an input circuit including an electromagnet external to said vessel for variably deflecting said stream, said electromagnet having its pole pieces adjacent the flattened sides of the vessel, and an auxiliary electrode in said vessel at said flattened portion thereof, said electrode comprising a plurality of plates of magnetic material lying transversely to the lines of force between the poles of said electromagnet.

6. An electric relay apparatus comprising means for producing an ionized stream, an output circuit including an auxiliary cathode immersed in said stream, and an input circuit including an electromagnet external to said stream for variably deflecting said stream toward and from said auxiliary cathode, said cathode being partly of magnetic and partly of nommagnetic material.

7. In an electric relay apparatus, the coman output circuit in cathode of magnetic bination with means for producing an ionized stream, and an input circuit including an electromagnet external to said stream for variably deflecting it, of an output circuit and an input circuit of non-magnetic material or spacing the said plates apart and holding them together.

8. In an electric relay apparatus, the combination of a tubular vessel flattened at one portion, means for producing an ionized stream therein and an input circuit including an electromagnet external to said vessel for variably deflecting said stream, said electromagnet having its pole pieces adjacent the flattened sides of the said vessel, and an auxiliary electrode in said vessel at the flattened portion thereof, said electrode comprising a plurality of plates of magnetic material lying "parallel to said flattened sides of the vessel and non-magnetic binding material for holding the said plates together at spaced distances apart.

9. In an electric relay apparatus, the combination with atubular vessel, means for producing an ionized stream therein and an input circuit including electromagnetic means external to said stream for variably deflecting it, of a divided output circuit including a pair of auxiliary electrodes each partly of magnetic and partly non-magnetic material and immersed side by sidev in said stream, said electrodes forming together an inclosure for a portion of the magnetic stream and conforming generally to the contour of the tubular vessel.

10. In an electric relay apparatus, the combination with a tubular vessel, means for producing an ionized stream therein,

including an electromagnet external to said vessel for variably deflecting said stream, of an output circuit including an auxiliary electrode immersed in said stream, said electrode conforming generally to the contour of the inner surface of said vessel and being closely adjacent thereto, and a leading-in wire for said electrode. attached thereto away from the edges thereof;

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 5th day of January A. D., 1914.

HAROLD DE FOREST ARNOLD.

Witnesses:

NANON E. TUTHILL, Amen HAZLEY. 

